Related

METRO VANCOUVER - At Surrey Memorial Hospital early Tuesday morning, hospital staff and security were blocking the entrance to traffic. As vehicles pulled up, people were being told to go to another hospital.

Two ambulances were parked at the gate, ready to transport anyone with a serious medical emergency.

Staff refused to speak to reporters, and would not say how many people had been transported to other hospitals overnight.

A few patients with non critical health issues were told to go to the outpatient centre.

At the Jim Pattison outreach centre two mobile care trucks were set up in the parking lot, but they were locked and patients could not access them. A sign directed patients to a temporary emergency sign in.

Vicki Swan, a spokeswoman for Fraser Health, said she wasn't sure why the mobile trucks weren't operational as of 9 a.m. She said more information would be released as soon as she knew more.

In the meantime, she said patients with serious medical emergencies should call 911. She said anyone with serious health issues would be assessed and taken to another emergency room.

Meanwhile, more than 100 surgeries have been cancelled so far, and the emergency room at Surrey Memorial Hospital could remain closed for several days after a broken water main Monday sent muddy water gushing through a wall, crippling patient care in several critical areas, including adjacent operating rooms.

The rupture occurred around 8 a.m. Monday, after excavation work by a construction crew for a north lobby expansion. There was so much pressure in the hospital’s main water supply pipe that murky water broke through a glass block wall at the rear of the emergency department. Surrey Memorial has the busiest ER in the province, receiving 200 to 300 patients a day.

The water contained no sewage so a public health hazard has not been declared, but the sterility of the ER and adjacent areas, including operating rooms, diagnostic imaging, a kidney dialysis unit, and a physiotherapy rehabilitation area must be restored before they reopen.

“Water is not contaminated, it has been assessed by (the) Chief Medical Health Officer and there is mud in the system, but not sewage, (so) no public health hazard or decontamination required, just clean up,” a Fraser Health bulletin stated.

There were 25 patients in the ER at the time, but no one was injured and patients were swiftly moved to other areas of the hospital.

Frantic nurses tried using towels to absorb the water until a private restoration company, aided by Surrey firefighters, arrived with pumps.

Paul Naragliano, 74, said he and other patients were taken to another part of the ER when water started spilling in.

“But the water, after one hour or so, was coming there too. So the nurses were all running around with rags and tried to stop the water and they asked us to go one floor up and we went up.”

Naragliano said he saw about 10 centimetres of water on the floor when patients were being transported out.

“I can walk, and I know what’s going on, but some patients needed help,” said Naragliano, who was wearing an oxygen mask as he was hurried out of the ER.

Cleanup efforts will continue throughout the week, and hospital officials are far from tallying the costs of the damage or figuring out who will pay for the calamity.

“At this time, we are working to ensure our patients are safe and receive the care and treatment they need and execute a management plan for operating without the SMH (Surrey Memorial Hospital) emergency department for at least several days,” said Tasleem Juma, a spokeswoman for Fraser Health.

During the cleanup, ER patients will continue to be diverted to other hospitals in Fraser Health.

All scheduled and non-urgent operations at SMH and the Jim Pattison Outpatient Care and Surgery Centre have been cancelled. Only one operating room out of eight is functioning, for patients in need of emergency surgery.

A dozen patients have been transferred by BC Ambulance to other hospitals, including Royal Columbian, Langley Memorial and Vancouver General.

An alternative water supply line has been hooked up and power restored. Juma said hospital visitors are being asked to stay away unless absolutely necessary.

Patients who are driving or being taken by others to the emergency department are being advised to go to other hospitals in the Fraser region.

Road access to the hospital has been changed and visitors to the hospital are taking detours to enter.

As of Tuesday, a mobile medical unit will be stationed at the Jim Pattison Outpatient Care and Surgery Centre, located at 9750 140th St. near Fraser Highway, a Fraser Health news bulletin said Monday night.

Patients arriving at Surrey Memorial Hospital and needing emergency assessment and care will either be diverted or treated on site, depending on needs.

The renal unit at the hospital will remain closed Tuesday for outpatient dialysis. Patients will be contacted about where else to go.

The construction work at the hospital is related to a $513-million tower being built as part of the hospital expansion and redevelopment. A five-times bigger emergency department should open sometime next year and the rest of the eight-storey tower will open in 2014.

Most of the work is being done by a consortium of companies called Integrated Team Solutions, consisting of EllisDon, Fengate Capital Management, CEI Architecture Planning Interiors, Parkin Architects and Honeywell Canada. But David McFarlane, vice-president (Vancouver area) of EllisDon, said his company was not involved in the water main break.

“There are two other groups unrelated to ours which are working on parts of the project. The area where this occurred was the north lobby renovation and that’s a separate contractor altogether.”

The excavation work was being done by a company called 3R Demolition, a Burnaby-based company that has a contract with Fraser Health to do some work.

Keith Fulton, a company representative, would not discuss the matter except to say “there’s a lot more to the matter.”

Monday’s emergency caused confusion for many patients. Entrances were watched closely by security personnel, with visitors and vehicles being turned away as they made their way to the emergency department.

Langley resident Blair Palm said his mother was taken to the hospital Monday with chest pain, but he hadn’t heard anything. He said he wasn’t allowed into the ward, nor was he told where else to go. “They said everyone’s been moved. I wish there was someone here with information.”

Degie Guiang was equally frustrated, saying she was trying to get some information on her father, who had been taken to emergency Monday morning after an asthma attack. “It’s ridiculous,” she said. “I just came from home (and) they said to go to another entrance. But it was closed. So I don’t know where to go.”

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

A Radio-Canada reporter has been arrested for alleged criminal harassment while pursuing the subject of a story. According to Radio-Canada, reporter Antoine Trépanier was arrested Tuesday night by Gatineau police. He was released on a promise to appear in court. Trépanier was called by Gatineau police Tuesday evening and an officer requested that he come […]

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.